1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tools used during the application of cosmetics, and more particularly to fingernail guards which protect freshly painted fingernails.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It takes up to thirty minutes for freshly painted fingernails to dry. During this period, it is advisable for the woman to minimize her movements to prevent damage to the wet polish. Waiting for fingernail polish to dry can be a tedious prospect, and even if great care is taken the finish is often accidentally damaged.
To address this problem, a number of devices have been developed which protect the fingernail polish during the drying process. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,225,571 of Smith, a finger attachment of unitary design is disclosed including a resilient, annular finger engaging portion, and a substantially rigid forward tapering portion which extends over a finger nail. Other fingernail protection devices of unitary design are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,297,807 of Somers, 2,458,709 of Kayer, 2,323,854 of Silverman, and 2,487,101 of Colby et al.
A problem with unitary fingernail guards of the prior art is that it is difficult to engage the fingernail guard with a finger without damaging the wet fingernail polish. This problem was addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,546,619 of Turner which teaches a U-shaped frame formed from a single strip of flexible material to which a guard member is hinged. When using Turner's device, the fingernail is painted with the guard in a vertical position, and then the guard is pivoted to a horizontal position overlying the fingernail to protect the wet fingernail polish. However, Turner sacrificed the simplicity of the unitary fingernail guards of the prior art to accomplish his purpose.
A problem not addressed in the prior art is that of fingernails of various lengths and shapes. Ideally, a fingernail guard should be just long enough to cover the fingernail to minimize the cumbersomeness of the device. With the fingernail guards of the prior art, the shield portion of the devices are of fixed length and shape, and must therefore be large enough to accommodate the largest of fingernails.